Reforming youth mental health policy (Warwick Medical School)

With increasing numbers of people needing mental health support, improved services are a priority to ensure patients can be treated quickly. This is particularly important for young people, who are often at risk during the transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) to adult mental health services. The work of Professor Swaran Singh (pictured) and Professor Max Birchwood has improved mental health care services and encouraged reform worldwide.

We have helped prove that direct access to Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) teams can make a significant difference to patients. By avoiding generic community health teams, delays can halve, with waiting times decreasing by an average of 150 days. This became a national standard in 2016. Over 76% of teams now deliver care within two weeks of referral – compared to 33% in 2015. This has improved outcomes for highly vulnerable patients while saving the NHS £5,536 per patient each year.

https://warwick.ac.uk/research/impact-new/science/medicine/youth-metal-health/